Audience: Readers or Teachers
Purpose: To explore how reading Star Girl can prepare the reader's mind for a discussion about peer pressure/prejudices.
Star Girl is full of opportunity. As the reader begins to explore the pages, he or she will quickly find themselves enveloped in the world of Leo, Star Girl, and Mica High. As we experience high school with them, we are invited into a world full of emotion, discovery, prejudice, acceptance, and diversity. The experiences of Star Girl and Leo are commonly found in schools across America, making the book easily accessible for young readers. As the readers find themselves relating to the content and the characters, they can also relate to the wide range of emotions experienced by both Leo and Star Girl. I think this book is relatable to all ages, genders, and walks of life. Even though on the surface level, this book may seem more geared toward young girls, I think that boys can also relate. Leo's experience with Star Girl is a unique one, and the insight we get into his thought process is worth pursuing. I also think that boys and girls alike can relate to the experience of Star Girl, because of her eclecticism. She is different, and she is not afraid to be different, and that makes her intriguing. As readers get to know Star Girl, they are introduced to a new way of thinking, a new outlook on the world. This discovery is the key to future learning. As readers learn about Star Girl and her experience at Mica, they can "fill in the gaps", like Pleasures talks about, and make their own conclusions. As they begin to piece everything together, and relate it to their own experience or perhaps even a completely new experience, they can begin to grasp the valuable lessons that Star Girl has to offer. For example, perhaps the reader feels bad that others make fun of Star Girl for being different. In that case, they can be encouraged to refrain from making fun of people in their own lives who may be different. Or maybe they can relate to Leo as he struggles to accept and stand up for Star Girl. Perhaps they begin to think of someone like Star Girl in their own life and they can relate to the struggle between one's own acceptance and one's will to stand up for others. Whatever the case may be, by experiencing Star Girl first-hand, readers can begin to explore a whole new world of diversity.
As a teacher, I am intrigued at the possibility of Star Girl leading into lessons about diversity and acceptance. As a teacher, I want my classroom to be a place where students feel safe, accepted, and challenged. I think that Star Girl offers those things within its pages, and when one of my students opens the book, they are also opening the way for future discussion. I want my students to discover things for themselves as much as possible, so then I can be the one, instead of spoon-feeding them the concepts, to lead discussion into even further discovery. What I'm proposing is that as teachers, we use Star Girl as springboard for lessons on diversity. I say we let them discover the concepts themselves by experiencing the book first-hand, and then regroup in the classroom to discuss how to apply Star Girl to other areas of life. What I'm thinking is that we can do a unit on diversity, and have Star Girl be the opening act. As the students read, we can have them respond to the book through things like guided reading, journaling, and peer consultation. Then, after we have spent time diving into the book, we can discuss how to apply it. For example, our students might have sympathy for Star Girl, whether they realize it or not. It is our job to help them realize that what they are experiencing is sympathy, and then we can teach them about what it means to sympathize, and how we can use that sympathy as a catalyst for actions made to improve the lives of those we are sympathizing for, or perhaps even our own lives.
This is just one example of the type of discussion that can happen after reading something like Star Girl, which contains so many types of social issues relevant to the lives of our young people today. Stories like this are great ways for us as teachers to help our students develop into mature, responsible, compassionate, and smart individuals. If we help them to be independent thinkers, we can then take their independent thought and challenge it to help them grow even more. That's the type of activity I'm proposing for teachers to use with Star Girl. But most of all, I'm suggesting that simply by reading, our students will discover for themselves the types of truly valuable social lessons that Star Girl has to offer. When I read it, I was challenged, and I think our students will be also. It is our unique and fortunate opportunity, as teachers, then to challenge them even more.
Star Girl
"Reader-Response"
Audience: Readers or Teachers
Purpose: To explore how reading Star Girl can prepare the reader's mind for a discussion about peer pressure/prejudices.
Star Girl is full of opportunity. As the reader begins to explore the pages, he or she will quickly find themselves enveloped in the world of Leo, Star Girl, and Mica High. As we experience high school with them, we are invited into a world full of emotion, discovery, prejudice, acceptance, and diversity. The experiences of Star Girl and Leo are commonly found in schools across America, making the book easily accessible for young readers. As the readers find themselves relating to the content and the characters, they can also relate to the wide range of emotions experienced by both Leo and Star Girl. I think this book is relatable to all ages, genders, and walks of life. Even though on the surface level, this book may seem more geared toward young girls, I think that boys can also relate. Leo's experience with Star Girl is a unique one, and the insight we get into his thought process is worth pursuing. I also think that boys and girls alike can relate to the experience of Star Girl, because of her eclecticism. She is different, and she is not afraid to be different, and that makes her intriguing. As readers get to know Star Girl, they are introduced to a new way of thinking, a new outlook on the world. This discovery is the key to future learning. As readers learn about Star Girl and her experience at Mica, they can "fill in the gaps", like Pleasures talks about, and make their own conclusions. As they begin to piece everything together, and relate it to their own experience or perhaps even a completely new experience, they can begin to grasp the valuable lessons that Star Girl has to offer. For example, perhaps the reader feels bad that others make fun of Star Girl for being different. In that case, they can be encouraged to refrain from making fun of people in their own lives who may be different. Or maybe they can relate to Leo as he struggles to accept and stand up for Star Girl. Perhaps they begin to think of someone like Star Girl in their own life and they can relate to the struggle between one's own acceptance and one's will to stand up for others. Whatever the case may be, by experiencing Star Girl first-hand, readers can begin to explore a whole new world of diversity.
As a teacher, I am intrigued at the possibility of Star Girl leading into lessons about diversity and acceptance. As a teacher, I want my classroom to be a place where students feel safe, accepted, and challenged. I think that Star Girl offers those things within its pages, and when one of my students opens the book, they are also opening the way for future discussion. I want my students to discover things for themselves as much as possible, so then I can be the one, instead of spoon-feeding them the concepts, to lead discussion into even further discovery. What I'm proposing is that as teachers, we use Star Girl as springboard for lessons on diversity. I say we let them discover the concepts themselves by experiencing the book first-hand, and then regroup in the classroom to discuss how to apply Star Girl to other areas of life. What I'm thinking is that we can do a unit on diversity, and have Star Girl be the opening act. As the students read, we can have them respond to the book through things like guided reading, journaling, and peer consultation. Then, after we have spent time diving into the book, we can discuss how to apply it. For example, our students might have sympathy for Star Girl, whether they realize it or not. It is our job to help them realize that what they are experiencing is sympathy, and then we can teach them about what it means to sympathize, and how we can use that sympathy as a catalyst for actions made to improve the lives of those we are sympathizing for, or perhaps even our own lives.
This is just one example of the type of discussion that can happen after reading something like Star Girl, which contains so many types of social issues relevant to the lives of our young people today. Stories like this are great ways for us as teachers to help our students develop into mature, responsible, compassionate, and smart individuals. If we help them to be independent thinkers, we can then take their independent thought and challenge it to help them grow even more. That's the type of activity I'm proposing for teachers to use with Star Girl. But most of all, I'm suggesting that simply by reading, our students will discover for themselves the types of truly valuable social lessons that Star Girl has to offer. When I read it, I was challenged, and I think our students will be also. It is our unique and fortunate opportunity, as teachers, then to challenge them even more.